Microsoft’s Layoffs – A textbook flop

In Microsoft’s case, the initial communication about the layoffs back in July was a textbook flop. A wordy 1,100-word company email announced the layoffs all the way down in the eleventh paragraph, so far buried in management terminology as to be lost to the casual reader. The letter was authored not by Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella, but rather former Nokia CEO and Executive Vice President of devices, Stephen Elop.

Unfortunately, this kind of oblique and impersonal manner for announcing layoffs is often par for the course. Many leaders have followed a similar pattern with past job cuts: filing for a layoff in accordance with federal, state or local regulation or statutory requirements; announcing the layoff to the entire company; communicating uplifting messages to the press about developing new strategies to foster growth; and encouraging managers to redistribute work among remaining employees.